Thankful For
by Tikal Tyrant
Summary: Thanksgiving is Kenny's least favorite holiday. He has to be alone and hungry while everyone else eats. Would accepting Butters' handout only confirm that Kenny is the poor piece of crap he feels he is? Obviously Butters needs to explain what this holiday is really about. Bunny Thanksgiving one-shot special!


A/N: Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone! Here's a little Bunny Thanksgiving special for you, which ended up being "How many Bunny episode references can I make" by accident. Hope you like fluff. Enjoy.

**Thankful For**

Outside was freezing. The ground was as white as the sky with even the roads covered in powder untouched by traffic. In the middle of town, Kenny sat on the sidewalk with his face pressed against his fists and his elbows pressing into his knees, wishing that he had something to eat. It was Thanksgiving, and Kenny felt particularly hungry knowing that other families – normal families – were preparing for big Thanksgiving dinners. Thanksgiving had to be Kenny's least favorite holiday. This was the holiday that always served to remind him just how poor his family is. It was the Cartman of holidays. Sure, he and his family were supposed to be sharing some canned beans that evening, but that seemed so unsatisfying and depressing compared to most families.

Kenny sulked, scraping a gray rainbow into the frosty road with his heel and feeling that it represented his mood pretty well. He didn't like that association so much. If he had heard somebody else make it, he would probably roll his eyes at how pathetic it sounded. No, Kenny decided as he removed his face from his fists and sat up straight. He would rather not feel depressed or pathetic today. Just because other people were celebrating didn't mean that he couldn't treat the holiday like any other day. Instead of brooding, he was going to enjoy this alone time. Maybe build a snowman. Or go for a walk and take in the beauty of his quiet mountain town. Or maybe go home and seclude himself in his room to read or write or browse his porn collection. Really, this day of solitude was a road to all sorts of personal discovery and enjoyment if he thought about it.

His optimistic pondering was interrupted by a pang in his stomach. It was the onset of a stomach growl, but one that got stuck at the start and refused to dislodge, creating more discomfort than if his stomach were to go ahead and growl. He slumped, pressing his cheeks on his fists once again. How could he focus on being positive when he was hungry on Thanksgiving?

The aroma of chicken wafted into Kenny's nose, making him perk up. He thought that he was imagining it until he looked to the horizon and saw the church down the hill, parking lot filled with cars and that big sign holding those flimsy plastic letters to spell out, "FREE THANKSGIVING LUNCH." It seemed too good to be true. Would it, Kenny wondered, be okay if he went? He began to stand, filling with hope and relief until he realized that he recognized some of those faces going for the doors. They were others who lived on his side of the tracks. Other poor rednecks who Kenny knew only needed the free meal because they were too lazy to work or too reckless with their money. He even saw Tammy Warner, his ex-girlfriend, with her mom. He knew for a fact that he wasn't as poor as them. As far as Kenny was concerned, free meals were for people who genuinely needed them. If there was one bit of integrity that he got from his dad, it was that he refused to ask for handouts.

"We McCormicks may not be the richest people around, but at least we work for our food," Stuart had told him when he was very young. The older Kenny got, the more he realized that these were just words that his parents rarely lived by, but the principle stuck. And now, Kenny adamantly kept his seat on the sidewalk, refusing to walk to the church. As hungry as he was, he was not a bum.

"What are you doin' sittin' here in the cold, Kenny?" Butters asked. Kenny turned wide-eyed at the other boy. He looked like Little Red Riding Hood standing there on the sidewalk with a large covered basket in the crook of his elbow and a peppy smile that gave the idea that he had probably been skipping before stopping at the poor ragged wolf.

Kenny sat up straight, trying to hide his hunger and depression. "(Nothin' much,)" he replied. "(What are you doing? Shouldn't you be with your family on Thanksgiving?)"

"We had our Thanksgiving yesterday cause my grandma was in." He almost looked bothered by the end of his statement, but smiled again when he said, "I was just takin' some leftovers to a friend of the family since we had so much. My arms are actually kinda sore." He laughed.

Kenny stood up quickly. "(Hey, want me to help you out? I can carry that for a bit.)" The idea crossed his mind that if he helped Butters, he wouldn't be thinking about his hunger so much. And more importantly, he might receive some food for the effort.

"Oh well actually," Butters said, flipping the checkered cloth back from the basket, "I'm on my way home now. It's not so heavy empty. But it did have turkey and ham and vegetables. Green beans and corn. And my mom made pumpkin and pecan pie, so I brought some of that. Oh, we also had potato salad. Yuck."

"(I see,)" Kenny said, trying to sound calm, but even with his hood hiding his pained grimace, Butters could see the disappointment in his eyes and the discomfort in his subtle slouch. Butters realized quickly that Kenny must have been hungry, and he felt guilty for talking about food to someone whose kitchen cupboards were always sparse. Someone who had to fill a cup at the water fountain to have something to drink at lunch. And someone who put up with as much ridicule for those things from Cartman as Butters took for other things.

"But!" Butters said. "But we still have leftovers at home if you need any."

Kenny's eyes narrowed at the statement, and he straightened his posture. "(No thank you,)" he grumbled. "(I don't _need_ anything right now. My family is having Thanksgiving dinner tonight, so I'm good.)"

Butters frowned and hitched his shoulders as if he had been swatted at. "I... I didn't mean _need_," he stammered. "I meant _want_. If you _want_ any. Cause it's still early so you'll be hungry again by tonight anyhow and I was gonna eat some when I got home anyhow and... we can keep each other company."

Now it just sounded to Kenny like Butters was trying to placate him. Like he was using euphemisms to dull the connotations of "poor" and "bum" and "loser." If he accepted now, he would just be confirming to both of them that he was a white trash piece of crap. That pang in his stomach bubbled up, aching but still refusing to relieve itself with a growl. Who was he kidding? Butters probably already did see him as a white trash piece of crap.

When Kenny turned his eyes to the ground and stayed like that, Butters knew that he had offended him and was just making it worse. Butters pursed his lips, unsure of what to say next. He shivered as flurries crossed his eyes. "It sure is cold out here, huh?"

"(I guess so,)" Kenny replied, unmoving. He could see Butters shivering in the corner of his eye, and after a moment he looked up. "(Aren't you going home?)"

"Will you come with me?"

"(I wasn't planning on it.)"

"Well... I'd really like you to have lunch with me."

"(No thanks. Go home. You're shivering.)"

"So are you."

"(I'm fine,)" Kenny stated. Butters was right, though; and when a particularly strong chill shook Kenny from his hips to his shoulders, the air bubbles in his stomach dislodged so that a drawn out squeal of a grumble squeezed its way out. Kenny blushed and punched his stomach to tell it to be quiet. He knew that Butters had heard it, and he was just waiting for Butters to rub it in his face.

"I'm not goin' home unless you come with me," Butters said, and when Kenny looked at him, he looked back with as stern and authoritative a frown as he could possibly give, his eyebrows shivering in their furrowed position and his frown looking more like a pout than a scowl. Kenny nearly chuckled. It was useless to debate further, and being mad at Butters was impossible. Before he could give it another thought, Kenny found himself huddled beside Butters as they walked toward his house. When they entered the kitchen through the back door, Kenny closed it behind himself and held onto the knob awkwardly. The house was warm and clean, and he genuinely felt like the big bad wolf intruding on the Stotch residence. "Well stop standin' around by the door, silly," Butters said, setting two plates on the counter and walking to the fridge.

Kenny removed his shoes so that he wouldn't dirty up the floor and cautiously walked to the counter. He watched quietly as Butters scooped strips of pink meat onto the two plates. "We're out of turkey, but I hope ham is okay."

"(Yeah, I like ham,) Kenny replied, shifting uncomfortably between his socked feet and scratching his arm. He covered his exposed big toe with his other foot.

"And do you like corn or green beans?"

"(Um... I dunno.)" Kenny worried that such a response would be strange, but he rarely ate vegetables. But of course Butters thought nothing of it.

"We'll just give you," Butters said as he scooped, "a little... of both."

After microwaving, Butters sat the plates on the counter and climbed onto the stool beside Kenny. Kenny stared at his plate of ham, corn, green beans, and mashed potatoes, salivating when he inhaled the scent.

"(Thank you,)" he said softly, the words quivering as he lifted his fork. He stuck it into a slab of ham and lifted it to his mouth, biting some off and instantly being surprised. He chewed with wide eyes. The meat was juicy and flavorful. He had been expecting something closer to sandwich meat, but for the first time he understood what adults meant when they said he needed to be eating "real food." He had always wondered what they meant, because he certainly wasn't eating fake food. But this plate was certainly filled with real food. "(This ham is really good,)" he said with a full mouth before scooping potatoes in next. "(And the potatoes, too.)" He took some more bites of ham and ate some more potatoes, but soon slowed to a halt when he noticed Butters watching him. Butters rested his cheek on his hand and gave a squinted eye smile at Kenny. "(What?)" Kenny asked, feeling a bit foolish. He was probably making it evident that he wasn't used to eating real meals, and he worried that Butters was laughing at him on the inside.

"Nothing," Butters said, warmly and dreamily. "I'm just happy."

"(Oh,)" Kenny replied, looking at his plate.

"So what are you thankful for?" Butters asked, taking Kenny by surprise.

"(Thankful for?)"

"Well yeah. It's Thanksgiving ain't it? We're supposed to say what we're thankful for."

"(Thanksgiving... Like, giving thanks? I... I never realized that before.)"

This time, Butters did laugh. "Well what did you think today was for?"

Kenny shrugged. "(I dunno. I just never thought about it.)"

"I always like to think about what I'm thankful for. It cheers me up," Butters explained. "You ought to give it a try."

Kenny gave it some thought. "(I guess I'm really thankful for this food. And summer, because it's warmer and girls wear swimsuits. But right now I'm really just thankful for this food. So, um, thank you.)"

"I'm thankful for this food, too," Butters said. "Because it's really good and I was able to share it with you. I'm also thankful for my family because they take care of me, and all our friends at school because they make life more fun and eventful. I'm also thankful for doctors and teachers and police officers who work hard for others. But right now," he said, borrowing Kenny's phrase, "I'm really thankful for you, Kenny. Because you're always nice to me even when others aren't. You're nice to everyone. I'm thankful that you agreed to eat lunch with me, because I woulda been lonely on Thanksgiving day if you hadn't. Thank you."

Kenny realized that his list was seriously lacking. "(You're welcome.)"

"Ah, no problem," Butters grinned, bringing his fork to his mouth. "Don't forget to eat your vegetables."

Standing at the door, Kenny held a plastic container in both hands. "(Are you sure it's okay to take this?)"

"Of course it's okay," Butters said brightly. "Happy Thanksgiving, Kenny."

"(Yeah,)" Kenny said, stepping outside and turning back to Butters. "(Happy Thanksgiving.)"

From the time that Butters had asked him the question to the end of dinner, Kenny wondered what else he should add to his list of what he was thankful for. Aside from his sister, he couldn't honestly say that he was all that thankful for his family. He supposed he was thankful for his friends for pretty much the same reasons that Butters had mentioned. And he was still thankful for the meal that Butters had given him, but he knew that there was more to it than that. After dinner ended and the rest of his family left the kitchen, Kenny dragged his chair to the kitchen wall and pulled the phone off the hook.

"Hello?" Butters answered.

"(I'm thankful for you, too,)" Kenny said right away. "(Because you made me eat good food. Not just good tasting food. Healthy food. Real food. And you brought me into your home and out of the cold. And I'm thankful that you never judge me when it feels like everyone else does.)"

Butters sat on his bed, holding the phone in both hands and listening intently. When Kenny stopped talking, Butters felt obligated to match his outpouring. "Well I don't know what I'd judge you about. You've only ever been really nice to me. I'm thankful for that."

Kenny knew that Butters was mistaken. He was obviously choosing to ignore or forget certain instances, like the book writing incident and the time he stood by and watched as the other boys hung him on the tetherball pole. "(I'm thankful and surprised that you think I'm nice. It made me happy that time you said I was dignified even though I'm totally not.)"

"But you are!" Butters said. "Remember how much you took care of me in Hawaii even though I was actin' so hateful? I'm really thankful for that, too."

"(I'm thankful that you took care of me when I was cheesed out and I threw up on you.)"

Butters laughed, and was surprised when he had to sniffle before continuing. "I'm thankful for the time you comforted me when my dad killed my mom in Minecraft."

"(And I'm thankful that you cared so much about my ex-girlfriend being a slut.)" Kenny laughed. "(Even though I didn't care at the time.)"

"I'm thankful that you still understand me even when my face is all swelled up from stupid almonds."

"(I'm thankful for you, Butters,)" Kenny said. "(I really am. I just wanted to tell you that, because I never really realized it before.)"

Butters wiped his eye and exhaled gently. "That... That makes me really happy."

"(Yeah... Me, too.)"

"Hey Kenny?"

"(Yeah?)"

Butters stirred for a bit, trying to decide what he wanted to say. "Can we eat together on Thanksgiving next year, too?"

Kenny smiled a broad smile. "(Dude, we can totally eat together on Thanksgiving next year.)"

"Good. Let's do that," Butters said. "Don't forget, okay? I don't want you sayin' you'd rather stand outside in the cold than eat with me next year, too."

Kenny laid his hand over his eyes. "(You don't have to worry about that, Butters. I'd way rather eat with you.)" When Kenny retreated to his room that night and stripped down for bed, he happened to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror that required a double take. He was smiling. It was Thanksgiving night and he was tired, but he was smiling. He didn't know what it was about Butters, but he was the only person Kenny knew who could possibly make him happy on his least favorite holiday. As he closed his eyes to go to sleep, Kenny thought that he'd have to remember to tell Butters that he was thankful for that as well, next year when they ate together again.


End file.
